Why the Process is More Important than the People
Sales is compared to sports often and one thing you see in sports all the time, is a player with lots of talent that does not succeed because he or she is in the wrong “system”. It is also very common for less talented players to be successful on certain teams and we credit the system or the coach. Of course, some athletes have so much talent they do rise above the system but how many companies are in a position where they have the resources and finances to recruit the truly absolute best they can.
This is exactly the reason why the process, the system, is more important than the player. Players are going to come and go and unless you have the resources to ensure you are bringing in the best talent that already has perfected their own process that will work in your industry, you are setting yourself up for failure.
Too many businesses lack a unified sales system which leverage the techniques and best practices used by stars. Superior company-wide sales process makes your entire team better and lessens the reliance on superstars.
A proven and repeatable sales process allows a company to create stars by giving sales personnel a roadmap to success. One that can be replicated if a change in personnel occurs or if the need arises to expand and add head count.
There are many benefits to a proven and repeatable company-wide sales process, including:
Improves performance of new hires and low performers by creating a step-by-step system
Brings performance of middle-of-pack performers closer to that of top performers as the company system incorporates the best practices and steps used by the best salespeople
Makes sales more predictable as the sales process is ‘staged.” By knowing the quantity and quality of prospects at each stage, your sales pipeline will become more accurate. What business owner does not want more accurate forecasting of new business?
Lowers the cost of onboarding a new salesperson
Sales stars can’t hold you hostage anymore because you now have the “formula” for success rather than relying on “black magic” which is the sales star creating the illusion that only they alone can accomplish what they have accomplished
When a sales person leaves, your sales process doesn’t leave with them because you own your sales process
Metrics: a proven system provides a baseline and benchmarks for the sales team to identify poor and good performance and outline areas of improvement
The importance of a culture and a process is so impactful on an organization that you can identify the have and have nots. There is a reason certain sports franchises are always good and some always struggle.
Before you hire additional sales staff or invest in more training, organize your sales process and sales management team. Creating the process and managing your team to the team through the process drives consistent sales success.
A quality sales manager does cost money and if you don’t have the resources to bring in the best, consider outsourcing your sales management and exploring a fractional sales manager. The great thing about investing in your sales process is that it is one of the few investments you can make that will ultimately pay for itself.